Applications are open for the Reporting Land Rights programme 2018. This program, which is a collaboration between the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and the Thomson Reuters Foundation, will assist Southern African journalists to understand property rights and incorporate it in their reporting, whether they are covering business and industry, the environment, urban revitalization, indigenous rights, food security, or a range of other topics.

Inadequate access to land and insecure land tenure are factors behind rural poverty, urban slum growth, gender inequality, violence and human rights abuses. But when those issues are controversial or sensitive how easy is it to report without inflaming tensions further—or even compromising your own safety?

The program will involve a four-day workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa from 30th July – 2nd August, 2018. Thet will also offer modest funding to journalists with outstanding story ideas on property rights, as well as editorial support to help them realize these ideas, drawing on the Reuters principles of accuracy, integrity and freedom from bias.

The four-day workshop will feature content on understanding property rights, and how the issue relates to Southern Africa; journalism skills and research techniques; approaches to building sources in this field; and talks from guest experts.

Benefits

They will cover all transport and subsistence costs for journalists from South Africa, and they will cover airfare, lodging, and subsistence for journalists from other Southern African countries.

Eligibility

Journalists working for domestic media anywhere in Southern Africa are eligible

Journalists working in any medium may apply—print, radio, TV, online

Journalists must be fluent in English

Journalists must have a minimum of one year’s experience. They should either be working full-time for a media organization, or a freelancer whose main work is journalism

Application

When applying you will be asked to upload the following documents – please have these ready:

2 relevant work samples (maximum file size 5 MB) – in English if possible. For stories not in English, please include a 250-word English summary about the story.

A letter from your editor consenting to your participation in the programme and committing to publish/broadcast resulting stories

Please note you will be asked to submit one or more story ideas within your application. They will not share your ideas with anyone. If you have any difficulties applying, please email trfmedia@thomsonreuters.com.